Ultra-long SOA-based wavelength converter for packet forwarding

All-optical packet switching networks have attracted much attention since their bandwidths exceed hundreds of terabits. Wavelength conversion and optical label processing are two major functions of this architecture's all-optical core router. This dissertation focuses on these two functions on the device level.; Wavelength conversion is based on an ultra-long semiconductor optical amplifier (UL-SOA)'s cross gain modulation (XGM) and cross phase modulation (XPM). Starting with modeling and measurement of the UL-SOA's nonlinearity, we study its gain recovery characteristics carefully. The length of the UL-SOA and the holding beam are proposed to speed up the gain recovery and reduce the pattern effect. Based on the UL-SOA's XGM and XPM, two setups and device designs for 40Gb/s wavelength conversion: an UL-SOA with a bandpass filter and an ULSOA with a delay interferometer (DI)-MZI, are carefully studied, and the error free operations of 40Gb/s wavelength conversion are demonstrated.; The UL-SOA with a bandpass filter is one setup for 40Gb/s wavelength conversion. The simple setup is used to study how the SOA's length affects eye opening, probe power range and signal power dynamic range. The filter converts the phase signal to intensity signal by taking off sidebands from XGM/XPM modulated dark pulse signal. The converted eye diagram is optimized. The measured power penalties of bit error curves ranges from 1.8dB to 2.5dB.; A monolithically integrated 40Gb/s tunable all-optical wavelength converter (AOWC) is the other design, with a tunable sampled grating DBR (SGDBR) laser, an UL-SOA and a DI-MZI on a single chip. This tunable wavelength converter is characterized and optimized with the assistant of a narrow filter. The pulse width and filter detuning are studied with the eye opening. The power penalties of BER curves at three wavelengths are between 7.7 and 8.8dB.; Finally, the DI-MZI on the monolithic integrated AOWC chip is used to code a 10Gb/s label under ASK and DPSK schemes. BER of ASK modulated label signal at five wavelengths are measured. The eye diagram of PSK modulated label signal is optimized.